Qatar’s Economy

Business in Qatar Should one do business in Qatar? Qatar is a small country in the Middle East. I've come to realize that Qatar, just like any other country has it's poor and plentiful sides. Qatar is a small country with immense expectations for future business with other countries. Let’s start by looking at Qatar’s political and economic standpoint. While Qatar is more of a conservative society than others, it has set out on a path towards economic modernization and political stability. Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has been the chief of state since 1995 and has led Qatar to becoming more open to global markets.He is a strong advocate to having relations with the United States as well. In 2003 and 2004 the economy of Qatar was growing and expected to continue growing. According to Douglas Walter, author of Consider Qatar, stated that Qatar's economy is driven by revenues from natural gas and oil resources. Qatar has one of the largest oil reserves in the world, with as much oil to last as long as 200 years, that was said in 2005. I can only imagine how much oil it has now. Qatar is striving to make itself more attractive for investments and trade with other countries.With the importance of foreign trade on the economy of Qatar, export taxation is a primary source of funding public spending and development in Qatar. In 1994, Qatar succumbed to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, which is now known as the World Trade Organization. They have built its trade and investment state so that they are following their obligations to the World Trade Organization by reducing tariffs, removing unnecessary restrictions and barriers to trade, and providing foreign investor more opportunities.The United States is still trying to get Qatar to become part of the Free Trade Agreement. It seems like doing business in Qatar, is easier than some countries. Some companies that do business with Qatar have reported that going through customs is not a hassle. Qa tari companies and customers seem eager to work with Americans and like buying U. S. Made products and services. Qatar has a stable currency, and the country inflicts no foreign exchange controls.Qatar permits up to 100% of foreign ownership in agriculture, manufacturing, health, education, tourism, power and projects involved in the development of natural resources, pending approval from the government. Qatar is also a member of various international financing bodies. It levies no taxes on the individuals' income and no fees on exports, whereas he fees on imports are exceedingly low and are estimated at 4 percent. Qatar is also famous for its banking market. There are no restrictions on transferring capitals overseas, which make the whole of Qatar a free trade zone.The issuing of law No. (1) in the year 1980 regulating industry in Qatar provided for incentives for local investors in the industry field and in addition to the promotional incentives regulated by law No. (19) in the ye ar 1995 which facilitates the process of obtaining industry licenses and unifies the executive bodies that grant promotional incentives. U. S. exports to Qatar in 2004 totaled $423 million. Within the span of five years, U. S. exports to Qatar have increased by over 200%. All indicators – the growing strength of the U. S. Qatar geopolitical relationship, growth in the world demand for natural gas, and Qatar’s successful economic reform and diversification strategy among others – strongly suggest significant growth in future U. S. exports to this market. Qatar has its own specific rules when it concerns other countries operating in this country. There are several services that are available for interested parties looking to do business within Qatar, such as legal, financial, tax matters, business counseling, company background checks, and feasibility studies.Now there is not any personal income tax within Qatar, but foreign-owned companies must pay tax on corpora te income. One downfall to this is that U. S. Companies wanting to do business in Qatar will have double taxation. Now with labor in the country of Qatar, all non-Qataris must have a valid work permit issued by the Department of Labor to work in Qatar. Qatar has a new labor law which aims to balance the rights of employers and employees, also institutes hiring priority to Qatari nationals.It gives the employers obligations that the employment contract must be in writing, the recognition of the concept of end-of-service benefits, and limitations on how many hours can be worked per week. Now seeing a country prosper with it's oil and natural gas revenues and to see how beautiful the country actually is, who wouldn't want to do business in Qatar. I've been there and can see how a U. S. Company could become a success over there. I've been to several places in Doha and have seen familiar places, such as Apple-bees, Chili’s, and Fuddruckers.With Qatar’s great relationship wi th the United States, it couldn't hurt for a company to open up over in Qatar and bring more to the country that is striving. Works Cited â€Å"Qatar Now. † N. p. ,n. d. Web 21 Nov. 2012 http://www. diwan. gov. qa/english/qatar/Qatar_now. htm â€Å"Rules of Business in Qatar-Export. gov† N. p. ,n. d. Web. 21 Nov 2012. http://www. export. gov/middleeast/country_information/qatar/considerqatarguide. pdf â€Å"Grasp, Rules of Business in Qatar† N. p. ,n. d Web. 21 Nov 2012. http://graspcorp. co. uk/en/about/about-qatar/

Existentialism And Modern Analysis

In his writing, Sartre adheres to the famous construct of † the theory of compromise† , as can be seen in his novel â€Å"Nausea†. This † theory of compromise† theme lends itself to the tenets of post-structuralism. Sartre's writings bear much truth, rather, they are all excellent and sublime in their characteristic beauty. Jean-Paul is the father of Existentialist philosophy, in the realm of Literary Studies and the Existentialist movement has been extremely popular amongst Marxists for it seems that Sartre's world view appealed greatly to Marxist sentiments and sensibilities. Sartre's passionate tone and empathic writing ( writing that has the quality of being ‘for the masses')influences one to give the subject of his fervent ruminations and expressions; only the most undivided actualization of esteem, a delegation of importance to Sartre's writings and simply put- one's full attention. The French writer Sartre never failed to extol the ideas behind how ‘Existentialist philosophy is real human philosophy'. Existentialism, in the briefest of lexical salutes, affirms this belief: that people are always in search of something to accomplish in their lives, and even if the most common observation resulting from surveys about the practices of Existentialists; is how they almost never finish what they begin to ‘do' – observations that posit negativity, focusing on the process of how individuals manage their existence instead of outcomes and products, is an immortal tribute to the quality of human living. History can only repeat itself, so much so that definable and manifested change is no longer necessary for positive developments to arise in the history of human civilization. One social institution that can be analyzed using the Existentialist paradigm would be the work force involved in public works and highways. These people dig on freeways that they close off at time in order to fix the plumbing system of cities. They also work in the suburbs. We can look into the life of the lead character of Jean Paul Sartre's â€Å" Nausea†, Antoine Roquentin. Antoine, as the narrator of â€Å"Nausea†, begins his story by saying that â€Å" Tomorrow it will rain in Bouville†. Antoine is a writer who settled in Bouvile ( France) for three years and Mr. Roquentin was conducting historical research on the life of the Marquis de Rollebon. The main concern of the existentialist musings of Antoine was the FACTICITY of life. Facticity, according to Melanie Revienne in â€Å" Existentialist Philosophy and Jean Paul Sartre† is signifies all of the concrete details against the background of which human freedom exists and is limited.. But Antoine is able to gain an epiphany regarding his existence when he thinks to himself, â€Å" People. You must love people. Men are admirable. I want to vomit-and suddenly there is Nausea†¦ Nausea-blinding evidence- I exist- the world exists-I know the world exists. That's all, it makes no difference Time. † Roquentin, at some point in his research becomes bored with the character of Marquis de Rollebon, and instead, he becomes obsessed with the idea that he is actually, writing a book. Antoine is also very preoccupied with the process of regaining the affections and feelings of his former lover Anny, to which she has this to say, â€Å" You can't begin again. † In the end, Antoine becomes fixated with the making of records- musical records- â€Å" the song of the Negresse singer- and he decides to cease working on his book and to try his hand at the production of recorded music in vinyl. â€Å" You must be like us, suffer in rhythm. SPIN ( the city is first to abandon me ) Strains of music above can proudly carry their own death within themselves like an internal necessity, only, they don't exist. A book! Be above existence, make people ashamed of their existence- beautiful, hard as steel. And I might succeed, in the past, nothing but in the past – in accepting myself. † Then Antoine, does â€Å"begin again† when he ends his story, using the same line, â€Å" Tomorrow it will rain in Bouville. † The diggers of the city have all of the systematic order and precision that Antoine evoked as the principal of life. They have the routine boredom of â€Å"nausea†. The diggers have all the time in the world to contemplate the past by the very act of using their work instruments in order to take from the surface, the concrete, grit and hollow that was, and to study the pipes of the city. The water pipes have their tales to tell. And they too can â€Å" begin again† when they close one land orifice ( hole) that they have dug, and start with another section. They make beautiful, the otherwise mundane task of working for the public works and highways.

The 1893 Financial Panic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The 1893 Financial Panic - Essay Example The financial crisis was as a result of various factors that will be addressed in this section. At the time of the crisis on February that year, America was highly expecting that its economy had picked and growth would be evident in the coming years. However, the collapse of the Baring Brothers bank which was an Argentinian agent bank led to a bump in the banking sector that affected other banks and consequently the US treasury at the time. The banks failure to pick up in the competitive banking environment was as a result of the failure in the wheat industry which came hand in hand with the coup at the Buenos Aires. These two occurrences acted as the last blow to its investments. Due to the shock, the US treasury started to work on a run on gold strategy due to the fact that investors in the sector still wanted to cash in their investments. The treasury did not want to scare the investors away as that would be more catastrophic and the prospects of recovering would be weak. In the meantime, too much investments were heaped on the railroad construction as it seemed a way of boosting business and consequently the economy. The result was that the economy was totally injured. The prices of various commodities including the ones in the agricultural sector dropped significantly adding to the misery. As the economy was hit and the banking sector seemed to crumble, people rushed to withdraw their money to avoid the loss that would follow if the banks collapsed with their money. This caused bank runs. To add to the already worsened situation, the United Kingdom was also hit by a financial crisis at a similar time and the result was that people who had invested in the American industry rushed to sell their stock and recover their investment capital. For a long time, Europe had been trading with the US. At the time of the crisis, the economy of various European countries was not good and that had an effect on America. As discussed earlier

Criminology - sociology -philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Criminology - sociology -philosophy - Essay Example According to Phillipson, traditional criminology fails to understand criminal law. The subject matter of criminology is defined by non-criminologists thus placing limits on the discipline (Phillipson:4). Even though criminology is acknowledged as the study of crime and criminals, it fails to understand criminal law because sorts of behaviours that are branded as crimes and the people who are convicted as criminals emerge out of social processes which are independent of the professional criminologists’ activities (Phillipson:3).. Traditional criminology, therefore, has his subject matter given to him through the society’s formal definitions of crime (illegal behaviours). It is also the society that identifies the individuals who commit criminal acts and not criminal law. In addition, traditional criminology has been a failure because legal definitions of what is a criminal behaviour vary within any society (Phillipson:6).. This is because what is regarded as  a crime i n a  given  Ã‚  society may not be in another because different societies have different definitions of criminal behaviours. For instance, some societies accept homosexual behaviour, gambling and drug use while others consider them criminal offenses. This, therefore, means that there is no one universal behaviour that is always and everywhere criminal because societies’ reactions to crime change with regards to time and place (Phillipson:5). Traditional criminology has ignored social processes upon which criminal law is made. It however rests upon an implicit acceptance of the legal status quo. This unquestioning acceptance of upheld values limit the questions criminologists ask as well as the answers they get from questions relating to the causes of crimes (Phillipson:7). This restricts the focus of traditional criminology in search of causes to individuals who were officially convicted of criminal offences. The limited vision of

1 page for Leaflet about Bikesharing system already prodived your Assignment

1 page for Leaflet about Bikesharing system already prodived your examples - Assignment Example The message will be delivered to the market in different venues. This tends to aid in event awareness, on the healthy wise, the bikes are simple way of exercising they are propelled manually, this give a rider work out. This is advisable since its makes muscles flexible and burn out unwanted fats in the body. Our biking systems are so simple, easier and convenient way. They don’t disrupt pollution is either way neither through air nor land. This system is environmental friendly. It’s also requiring less skills and knowledge in its operation. This makes the user feel easier and smoother while using the system. It gives the free service on its users. Affordability is a major bit in this system. The prices are meant to suit different consumers financial capabilities. Its spare parts are also readily accessible, leading to easier and faster maintenance. Consumers are able to acquire the bikes at their best prices in the current market, enabling even lower and middle leveled class to enjoy the system. The bikes come with full package. Including, free registration numbers. These minimize bureaucracy involved in the process of registration, saving time and the extra costs occurred in the process. It gives riders free time to start enjoying its products on immediate basis. It enables the user to get full access of the holding documents, to provide full ownership of the bike. The authority will have the knowhow about the legal owner of the products, in case of

Stock Market Index in China Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 15000 words

Stock Market Index in China - Dissertation Example Shanghai exchange will be positioned as China’s New York Stock Exchange (main board) while Shen Zhen exchange will act as China’s NASDAQ devoted to the growth or secondary market.   In essence, China’s securities market is still an immature one with few sophisticated financial instruments such as stock options, interest swaps, commodity futures, financial futures and derivatives.   Government is researching the advanced tools while most local securities firms are still inexperienced.   Supporting the program to nurture the growth of the stock market is China’s $622 billion securities market and its $900 billion savings, which makes China attractive to foreign investors even at this early stage.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Surprisingly, the economic growth has been achieved against a backdrop of inadequate legal and regulatory infrastructure and barriers that inhibit market entry and competition. However, Chinese government has promised improve legal and regul atory framework in order to meet several economic development goals.   The problems on bad bank loans and inefficient state-owned companies still intimidate foreign investors but many believe China can make its financial market more attractive by creating a better regulatory environment and more complete market structure.Price liberalization, downsizing state-run industry and making way for a vibrant private sector were the touchstones of China’s efforts to open up its trade and investment arena to the world (Schlotthauer, N., 1999).  Ã‚   To further expand domestic demand, a series of moves were taken in 2003.

Corporate theory and pratice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Corporate theory and pratice - Essay Example ther regulatory bodies therefore acted urgently initiating a raft of new amendments aimed at halting firms from concealing underperforming portfolios through ingenious accounting practices (Brodie, 2008). Consequently the IASB and the FASB issued amendments to IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement and IFRS 7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures that permit the reclassification of some financial instruments and require consequential additional disclosures in respect of any reclassification made.   These amendments were issued to address the current market conditions and, due to its urgency, were issued without the normal due process  (IASB & FASB, 2009). The Financial Statement Presentation is one of the seven joint IASB and FASB financial accounting projects set to concluded by the year 2011 in three phases [See Table 1]. The main preposition was the introduction of a cohesive, disaggregated, and liquid and flexible. The FSP Discussion Paper (DP) – Preliminary views on Financial Statement Presentation is founded on three premises which require a presentation of the FSP in such a way that: ‘establish a standard that will guide the organization and presentation of information in the financial statements...the management of an entity communicates financial statement information to users of financial statements, such as present and potential equity investors, lenders, and other creditors...improve the usefulness of the information provided in an entity’s financial statements to help users make decisions in their capacity as capital providers.’ (IASB and FASB, 2009, Pg.1) The board’s primary intention is for firms to present a singular financial statement with the objective of enhancing the financial presentation model that is analogous and uniform hence decipherable to the users. The projected presentation model necessitates a firm to present the financial information in a way that depicts how it operates its business disengaged from data

Computer Misuse - law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Computer Misuse - law - Essay Example The cost of the crime in many cases is immense. The confidence of the general public has succumbed and internet is regarded as a place with ’wild west’ culture. The internet service providers, Government, hardware and software manufacturers have done little to minimize the various risks associated with use of internet. Ekaterina Drozdova a doctoral candidate of Stern School of Business, New York University conducted a survey about legal codes regarding e-crimes in fifty countries and came up different actions that can account for breaching of cyber laws. They are; unauthorized access, unlawful fiddling with files or data (e.g. illegal copying, alteration, or destruction), damage to computer or network (e.g. viruses, worms, Trojan horses), use of information systems to commit or advance conventional crimes (e.g. scam, forgery, money laundering, acts of terrorism), computer-mediated spying, infringement of privacy in the attainment of personal data theft or damage of computer hardware or software (Sofaer & Goodman, 2001). According to one report about the rising public anxiety in relation to e-crimes, 21% of the people felt at risk from e-crimes and only 16% worried about burglary in UK. It is also estimated that an average company or firm in UK loses about 3% of its profits to electronic theft. According to one estimate in the UK, Â £40 billion is spent on the fraud prevention industry which is equivalent to half of what the country spends on the National Health Service (Saxby, 2006). This alarming report is reason enough to undertake every measure to aid in provision of the security that the internet users deserve. The figures like this makes it clear that computer misuse is a very wide spread and board level issue that needs a more sound infrastructure to amply fight it, instead of relying on just the IT department of organizations to counteract it. The

Relationship between money supply and inflation in saudi arabia Essay

Relationship between money supply and inflation in saudi arabia - Essay Example This paper also label the author from whose books or journals ideas are taken and they are labeled according to APA format. The topic about inflation and money supply in the economy was very vast. To prepare a good and comprehensive report, I have not only relied on my textbooks and knowledge, but instead I have used various outside sources as well. In the beginning, I have used some of the data that was published in Saudi Arabia Monetary Agency Report. This was a good mean to examine the overall inflation rate and monetary supply in KSA. The report states that in order too keep the inflation rate in the country down; Saudi Arabian government keeps most of its wealth in the form of United States Dollars. This is to stop any unnecessary leakage or money being pumped into the economy. This shows that Saudi Arabian government knows about the fact that inflation in the economy will rise if they let the money flow into the economy. (SAMA 44th Annual Report, 2007) In another report it has also been suggested that Saudi Arabian government keeps the inflation rate down by offering various subsidies to their citizen. As a part of this policy, in 2006, a heavy subsidy was given to automobile gas sector to cut down the prices by 20%. (Country Profiles Report, 2006) My research was not only limited only to these reports, but I tried to crack down the trend of inflation in Saudi Arabia. It was when, I was researching about the inflation rates in Saudi Arabia, I found out that inflation hit Saudi Arabia in those periods, when oil-markets showed a boom or price of oil rose sharply in the international market. (Index Mundi) I also reviewed various text books to arrive at the correct definition of money supply. In the end, I found these definitions very appropriate. One writer stated that money supply is actually the amount of money that is cumulatively held by people and organization working in a country (Samuelson and Nordhaus, p.321) After finding the correct definition of money supply, I started looking for money-supply trends in Saudi Arabia. It was very surprising to see that in the last few years Saudi Arabia has increased the money supply in the economy and it is continuing its policy, although the fears about inflation are very high in the country. (Country Profile Reports: KSA,2008) In a report, it was stated that "For the last few years, Saudi Arabian government is increasing the money supply in the economy by around 24% annually". Talking in the more absolute terms, the report further stated that "M3 (broadest measure of money supply as it includes all the money that is circulating in the economy in the form of Cash or Bank Deposits) grew to 815.14 billion riyals ($217.4 billion), which in the preceding year was only lingering around 615

Good Communication Skills Are Essential for Teachers Essay Example for Free

Good Communication Skills Are Essential for Teachers Essay There are many Primary School teachers that work in our society, teaching children different subjects and skills whilst at school. These subjects consist of Maths, English, art, PE and History. The curriculum set by the board of education is essential so children can learn to read and write amongst other skills learnt so they may be able to as adults live and function productively in society. For students to learn these skills efficiently Early Primary school teachers need to have good communication skills. The four key areas that good communication is imperative is teaching students, interacting with parents, consulting with staff and behaviour management. Early Primary school Teachers need great communication skills to be able to teach children so they can learn to the best of their ability. Teachers will be teaching children who are in different levels of development and abilities. They need good communication skills verbally and physically to cater for the different capacities that children learn at, and cater their teaching styles to them. Teachers have goals and objectives they aim to achieve whilst teaching children in primary school. They need to be able to differentiate their teaching style whilst teaching a subject or activity the class is doing to cater for the different learning abilities. This needs to be communicated to the students in a simple , clear format both written and verbal . This enables students who have low attainment levels

Times When Two Cultures Come Together

Times When Two Cultures Come Together Culture is defined as the historically transmitted and interrelated web of values, assumptions, norms, belief systems and behavioral patterns that differentiate one human group from another. Culture is manifested in music, painting, literature, theater, sculpture and films, shortly in all aspects of life. It influences the way we perceive the world, the way we attribute meaning to our environment. Therefore diversities and conflicts are commonly seen when people from different cultural backgrounds encounter each other. In this paper I would like to examine this cultural contact based on a movie called My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The 2002 romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a great example for depicting cultural differences between the US and the Greek culture. It shows how differences in cultures may affect the lives of people through the main character of a 30 year old Greek girl Toula. Being brought up in the US by a traditional Greek family, Toula has to have a single purpose in life: to marry a Greek man and have as many Greek children as she can. Compared to her sister who has been married for a while and has 3 children, she is perceived to be seen unfortunate due to her reaching 30 and still being single. Her father continuously reminds her to marry soon because she started to look old. Toula is stuck with all of the Greek values in her life. She is working in the family-owned restaurant and has no free space for herself. From the time she was a child, decisions regarding which school she would attend or where she would work are all determined by her family. However; being raised in an American culture that is totally different from Greek culture resulted her to be unsatisfied with her life. The emphasis on individuality, being able to be autonomous affected her views as well. The realization of this uncontentment climaxed after meeting Ian while working at the restaurant. When Ian enters her life, she began to realize that she wanted to live her own life and she starts to make her own choices. With her mothers help, she gets the permission for taking computer classes at college which she may later use for business. The approval of the father comes late because he thinks that city is a dangerous place to go. Even when her mother insists on this permission, he responds: if a girl is enough intelligent, why bother going to school. This dilemma of acculturation process which Toula experienced is examined scientifically in Cigdem Kagitcibasis book of Family, Self, and Human Development across Cultures as well. In her book, Kagitcibasi explains that the aspirations of adolescents have are influenced by the dominant society when there is a cultural contact between the culture of relatedness of ethnic minorities originating from collectivistic societies and the culture of separateness of the individualistic dominant society. In the culture of separateness, autonomy is highly valued because it is functional and adaptive in everyday situations. When these minority adolescents engage in a social comparison process, they see that their peers who belong to the culture of separateness enjoy more authority than they do. On the other hand, being related with their parents satisfies their need for warmth and security and it does not create a conflict. However; in some cases where parents lack enough education, parents see a utonomy as a sign of disrespect or separation. Therefore they may not give autonomy to the child. Here we can talk about a culture lag in which the traditional point of view in the family of interdependence still continues despite the fact that it is not functional in the urban, technological society. This culture lag creates a conflict where the autonomous-related self and the family model of psychological/emotional interdependence that adolescents favor collides with the heteronomous-related self and the family model of interdependence that parents value. Because the first one is more adaptive in an immigration context, it is likely that it will be the case (Kagitcibasi, p.324). However this transition would be tough just as it is observed in Toulas struggle. As it is examined above, autonomus related self is more adaptive in an urban lifesetting as it is the case with Toula in the movie. Autonomous related self is a concept that is established by Kagitcibasi that satisfies two basic needs which are autonomy and relatedness. Although the mainstream psychology has always thought autonomy as being separate, Kagitcibasi notes that these two are distinct concepts which are independent from each other. Autonomy refers to willful agency, being governed from outside; whereas being separate or close is about the relationship with others. This type of self is more compatible with an immigration context where there is urban lifestyle involving education and work. Because urban lifestyle requires individual decision making, in other words autonomy is needed for taking initiatives. However close self other and kinship relations continue to exist, too. Therefore it is more adaptive to have autonomous related self. But the process for migrant families with traditional lifestyle to accept the shift towards this type of self takes time. After getting the approval of her parents, Toulas differentiation process towards the autonomous related self begins. She gets herself a new hairdo, abandons her glasses and starts to wear make-up. Moreover she manages to find new contacts and becomes more outgoing and social. She quits working in the family owned restaurant. Instead, she starts to work at the tourism agency bureau of her aunt. In her new job, she feels much better, especially after getting the attraction from the guy, Ian, whom she met at the restaurant. After a while, Ian and Toula starts to date secretly but as Toula finds out that the guy she was dreaming of is non-Greek, things began to be challenging for both of them. As Toula is struggling with how to make her family accept Ian who is a foreigner, Ian finds himself confronted with the family of his love where things are totally different from his own. As opposed to Ian who has only two cousins, Toula has twenty seven. When Ian asks her what she does in her fre e times, she responds that there is no free time for her own because the extended family is together all the time. In addition to that, Toulas family is very proud of their Greek heritage. Her father constantly states that all of the words have roots from the Greek language and he overemphasizes that there are two types of people, firstly the ones who are Greek and secondly the ones who want to be Greek. Moreover, her family tries to preserve their Greek identity in all aspects. Their house is designed in Greek style and there were Greek statues and miniatures all over the place. They engage in every traditional practice that a Greek family might have. They celebrate festive days in Greek way; they dance and eat with Greek relatives. They send their kids to Greek schools so that they acquire the Greek culture. The family also has a patriarchal structure where the father is the head of the family and where the mother helps with the care and support of the household. Toulas family fits into the model of interdependence as it is described in Kagitcibasis book. The model is associated with close family relations and is often characterized by patrilineal family structures (Kagitcibasi, p. 136). Toulas family also has strong familial relations, they celebrate everything together with the extended family, cousins altogether work at a family owned restaurant in order to contribute household jointly. As it is expected from Toula, this type of family structure demands fertility as well. Moreover, the childs dependence is ensured by obedience-oriented socialization and authoritarian parenting as it is the case with Toula. Even reaching her 30s is not enough to make decisions regarding herself alone. Still she needs the approval of her father, is strictly controlled when she comes home late. This type of socialization promotes loyalty and interdependence as it is seen in the movie. As opposed to Toulas family which values interdependence, Ians family is characterized in the model of independence which is the typical model of the western individualistic, nuclear family that is found in the industrialized societies (Kagitcibasi, p. 139). This family model values interpersonal independence. The family exists in nuclear structure and low level of fertility is common. Socialization practices enhance the independent self where there is less control in childrearing. Thats why Ians family does allow the marriage at first sight and does not interfere with the process. Moreover, Ian lives alone and has no sibling or twenty seven cousins like Toula which is seen in family of interdependence. The differences regarding the values and beliefs are mostly seen through reaching the end of the film where the two families start to meet and interact. When Ians family comes for a dinner which was supposed to be a quiet dinner for meeting each side, they are shocked when they see the crowd which is waiting for them. Every single member of the extended family was invited for the dinner and the dinner turned out to be a party where everyone eat, dance and sing Greek songs which is common in Greek culture. As opposed to Toulas crowded family, Ians family comes to dinner with only the nuclear members of the family composed of mother, father and Ian. As the wedding preparations accelerate, Toulas relatives continue to intervene in every single detail. For example; Toulas mother has already prepared the wedding invitations by herself and didnt ask Toulas opinion about whom to invite. Her wedding dress is already planned by her cousin and the place of the wedding is arranged by Toulas family, despite of the fact that Ians family thought a club would be okay. As it can be predicted, marriage from the perspective of Toulas Greek family is just not about uniting two people, but it is the joining of two clans. As opposed to this, marriage can just be a consumer decision with utilitarian value shared with associates at a club (Denny Wayman Hal Conklin, 2002). On the day of the wedding, Toulas family intervened in all the details as well. When Toula has noticed that she has a pimple on her face, all her female relatives help her to cover it with a foundation. Lastly I would like to emphasize some of the similarities between Greek culture and Turkish culture that I have observed throughout the film. In the film Toulas family reminds me of the traditional Turkish family with extended family ties in rural context. The development of the related self is assured with obedience socialization and control. Though not being in a rural context, Toulas family is committed to their values and traditions so strictly that they do not let their daughter be free like the people in the American culture. Toula finds herself in a complete dilemma where she wants to change things in life but out of respect she can not exercise it easily. Another similarity that I have observed is the Greek traditions which are also common in Turkey. For instance; hospitality is highly valued in Turkish culture, too. When a guest comes to visit a Turkish family house, the host family offers delicious meals to enjoy their time. When Ian first visits Toulas family, although he responds that he is not hungry, Toulas mother says: Ok I make you something to eat. The concept of the wedding is also similar in the way that all the relatives even the ones who live far are invited to the wedding ceremony. After the ceremony, they celebrate the day with dancing, eating and wishing a happy life just as in the Turkish culture. They dance sirtaki which is a popular dance of Greek origin just like the Turks who dance halay. They also have the traditional desert baklava like the Turks and use the same word portakal for orange. Lastly, Turks also give presents to the newly wed couples just as it is seen in the movie where Toulas father has bought a house near to them. Buying a house near the parents also shows that loyalty and being close are highly valued in Greek culture where there is a culture of relatedness. In conclusion I would like to stress that My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a great movie which conveys the message that no matter how different two cultures may be, there is a universal aspect of humanity in all over the world. Though history is filled with great atrocities, wars and pain resulting from differences among cultures, the hope for our future may rest in us being able to love and accept one another because of these differences. The scene right before the film ends also summarizes this view perfectly. Before the visitors all are dancing and singing, Toulas father states in his speech: You know, the root of the word Miller (the surname of Ian) is a Greek word. Miller comes from the Greek word milo, which means apple, so there you go. As many of you know, our name, Portokalos, is come from the Greek word portokali, which means orange. So, okay? Here tonight, we have, ah, apple and orange. We are all different, but in the end, we are all fruit.

Lord Of The Flies Development :: essays research papers

How Do the Main Characters in Lord of the Flies Develop in the First Six Chapters? In Lord of the Flies, William Golding experiments with what could happen to a group of young of boys left in new surroundings with no adults present. The main characters of this novel are quickly established and are the oldest or tallest of the boys. All the characters change and develop enormously over the period of time when they have to adjust to living on the island.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reader is introduced to Ralph first, as the ‘boy with fair hair’. Ralph enjoys standing on his head and shows how impulsive he is when he dives straight into the water. This suggests that he has little common sense and so may be irresponsible. He also appears to be a daydreamer and is convinced that his father will rescue him so does not face the reality of what has actually happened. ‘how does he know were here?’†¦because, thought Ralph because because.’ Ralphs’ father being in the navy could mean that Ralph has had a privileged upbringing which might be why he feels superior to Piggy and doesn’t think much of him. This is shown when Ralph orders Piggy to ‘get my clothes’, and when he broke his promise by telling the boys his nickname was Piggy. Ralph had possession of the conch, used it to bring the boys together and had a good physique (tall, blonde, ‘built like a boxer’), so he easily earned the respect of the boys and was immediately accepted. ‘There was a stillness about Ralph that marked him out†¦his size and attractive appearance, most obscurely the conch’ The first thing Ralph says as leader is ‘I can’t decide what to do straight of†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. He does not display authority or apply a task to anyone, so the boys have to find their own things to do, so he does not seem to have the qualities to make a good leader. However, the fact that his main priority is to get rescued and build shelters to survive, and that he tries to keep the island civilised shows that his ‘common sense’ is developing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Similar to most other boys, Ralph enjoyed the absence of adults on the island and the island itself. Everyone wanted to have fun, but Ralph also wanted to be rescued so understood the importance of the fire. By the third chapter Ralph feels depressed because he cannot convince the boys of the necessity of the shelters.

Feeding the Ghost Essay -- essays papers

Feeding the Ghost WE ARE BETTER The novel Feeding the Ghosts, by Fred D'Aguiar, exploits the terrible conditions black people were put through while being transported from Africa to the Americas. It examines the thought process of the captain, the crew, the captives, and the legal system of England. D'Aguiar clearly illustrates the hell that was forced upon the blacks and how even the highest court system of the time saw nothing wrong with it. The whites were the ones who made the laws; the laws were meant to protect the whites. The high court had laws in place about proper procedures on these voyages, but the law wasn't meant to protect the blacks, or stock as they were referred to, just the well being of the white people involved. The common conception is that a courtroom is where the truth comes out and justice will be served. It is a safe haven for the innocent and a prison for the guilty. But when the hearing of the investors of the Zong vs. the insurers starts, Lord Mansfield states, "As you know, gentlemen, this is not a criminal trial. It is a hearing". No, this would never be a criminal trial. It wasn't illegal to murder black slaves if there was good enough reason. Blacks didn't have human rights like the whites did. Laws weren't created to protect the black man; they were there for the well being of the white person. Anyways, the black person was stock in the eyes of the law so the treatment of stock was the question at hand. "Which law did the captain break? None according to English statutes. What is being disputed here? Whether his actions were within the law that describes the treatment of slave stock." (p. 171) Whites made the laws, whites enforced them, whites benefited from them. ... ...mmunication there is still an underlying prejudice against the black person. Things haven't changed enough to say we are equal. Time is the main component in changing this. Something that has been rooted in white backgrounds and common laws for hundreds of years doesn't change in a few decades. Here at UW-La Crosse students are required to take a minority studies class and similar programs are underway at other colleges. Education is the first step to closing the gap. The second step is changing how one perceives another who is different from them. Will the world ever be able to do away with prejudice? Or is prejudice something that is like second nature. Everyone is entitled to their own thoughts, so wouldn't that entitle everyone to having a prejudice? Bibliography D'Aguiar, Fred. Feeding The Ghosts. A Novel. New York: The Ecco Press, HarperCollins, 1997.

Gender Roles in Latin American Societies Essay example -- Female Male

Gender Roles in Latin American Societies The idea that a woman’s job is to be a wife and mother is old-fashioned, but not completely out of style. Though these roles require a great deal of talent, resilience, patience, love, and strength, to name a few, they are often underestimated or depicted as simple. Especially in modern times, many women in the United States who stay home to raise a family are viewed as anti-feminists, whereas women in Latin America are not criticized for similar actions. In recent decades, more Latin American women have started to break the mold, daring to be both sexy, and successful in the workforce, while remaining pillars of domestic life. Latin American society places a great deal of importance on the family as a support network; it is not uncommon for several generations to reside in the same house. This emphasis is called familismo, and the mother in the family is usually the most important figure. She â€Å"is seen as the primary nurturer and caregiver in the family†¦[and] plays a critical role in preservation of the family as a unit, as well as in...

Health Sociology Essay

The present paper reviews various theories in reference to health sociology. Discussion will centre around a brief definition of theory and sociology while exploring and comparing two of the seven main theoretical perspectives; functionalism and symbolic interactionism. This paper concludes by providing reasoning on the importance of contributing these two theories to the knowledge of health care practitioners. A theory allows us to make sense of the world by providing clarification of why things happen and how things work. Each theory is developed on a collection of different authors views although in the end they tend to share core values of a certain perspective or society (Germov, 2009). Theories are commonly the foundation for all health policies and reflect on the way health care providers deliver care, they allow health practitioners to enhance their knowledge on matters they are unsure of through qualitative research and encourage continuation of skill development in hope of achieving improved quality of care (Albert, Hodges, Kuper & Reeves, 2008). Sociology is simply the study of human social life and encourages health care professionals to view everyday occurrences in different ways. It can be broken down into sociology in nursing, relating to an individual’s health care experience or sociology of nursing, referring more to the issues that affect the profession as a whole (Green & Earle, 2009). Functionalism also known as structural functionalism or consensus theory looks at society from a large-scale prospective and is an approach to sociology based on ideas by three key theorists; Ѐmily Durkheim (1858-1917), Talcott Parsons (1902-79) and Robert Merton’s (1910-2003). This theoretical perspective, which is popular in the USA, explores the required structures that make up a society and how each part contributes to maintaining social stability and equilibrium (Germov, 2009). According to Van Krieken et al. (2013) the main ideas of the functionalist perspective may be summarised from a comparison drawn from biology, with the use of the human body as an example to explain how an organism works. It firstly examines the various relationships between the different parts of the body, such as the lungs, heart, liver and brain, and with this investigation it provides an understanding of how they operate together as a whole organism. By simply investigating these parts of the body in isolation of each other and without each organ working smoothly together the human body is unable to operate, the same is true for a society  and all the structures working together trying to maintain social order (Van Krieken et al., 2013). Along with Van Krieken et al. (2013) comparison with biology, Germov (2009) explains that functionalism centers on the assumption that a society is a system made from a bunch of connected structures, all of which have an integral function with certain needs that interrelate and depend on each other in order for survival of social stability and consensus to be maintained. According to Germov (2009) the functionalist study of health care has mainly been influenced by Parsons (1951) and regarded individual’s health as an essential condition of an unchanging and ordered society. His idea of illness came from behaviour’s and/or activities that interrupt social exceptions about what is normal and saw illness as a disruption to the usual function of society. He implemented the concept of the ‘sick role’ stressing the importance for the sick to seek expert help in order to recover and continue performing their social role (Germov, 2009). Symbolic interactionism was compiled by the teachings of a key theorist George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) in the 20th century. He believed that this theory was established as a reaction against structuralist approaches such as structural functionalism and was the development of individuals and how people construct, interpret and assign meaning to their behaviours in order to decide how they act with others (Germov, 2009). Herbert Blumer (1900-87) continued Meads work and coined the term to describe this theory of society in 1937. Symbolic interactionism encompasses not only sociology but various components of psychology by concentrating on a small-scale view of society and focuses on a small-scale perspective of individual’s interactions and how this impacts a person’s image or identity of themselves (Germov, 2009). According to Kneisl & Trigoboff (2009) symbolic interactionism can be explained by breaking the human process into three central ideas; it looks at how individual’s react depending on the meaning, it gives meaning to things based on our social interactions with people assigning different meanings, and it explains that our meanings given to something are not permanent and can be changed with experiences that occur throughout everyday life. Symbolic interactionism gives special importance that health and illness are perceived subjectively as socially formed features of an individual’s life that can change with time and vary within certain cultures (Germov, 2009). Labelling theory which is described by Germov (2009) as  social institutions and health professions playing a role in defining what is deviant, uncovered the way that medicine could be utilised as an instrument in promoting conformity and help minimise the actions of difficult or abnormal social groups. Symbolic interactionism has an emphasis on illness within a society and how it can be socially mirrored at any point in time by politics, culture and morality, therefor health care professionals may use this theory to gain opinions that are based on social and moral factors rather than just biological factors (Germov, 2009). Functionalism and symbolic interactionism are both theoretical paradigms that are applied in relation to the study of society’s structure. According to the structure-agency continuum in Germov (2009), both of these theories are placed at opposite ends, functionalism favouring the structure side of the debate while symbolic interactionism favouring the agency side. As discussed, the functionalist theory observes on a macro scale how society works together by the interacting and interlocking parts, it is based on a more objective scientific approach by focusing more on the organism working as a whole in order to provide social stability (Langhoff, 2002). Unlike functionalism, symbolic interactionism is based more on an interpretive approach which is observed on a micro scale and focuses more on the individual’s reactions and actions when they attach meaning to the interlocking parts (Langhoff, 2002). In order for us to comprehend, explain and make predictions about the involvement of a society and human relationships we must first gain a strong understanding of sociology and its impacts towards nursing. Cox (as cited in Pinikahana, 2003), explained how sociology may help nurses with their primary role in caring for patients and discussed four ways of how sociology relates to nursing. Pinikahana (2003) explains the reasoning and justification for teaching sociology in order to increase the awareness of the individual’s psychological and social needs, and views sociology as a subject that facilitates the holistic care of the patient. Cooke (as cited in Green & Earle, 2009) explains sociology as an â€Å"emancipatory disc ipline†, meaning health professionals need to remain self-critical and question the expectations of the profession that have been long held. Following the theory of functionalism within health care the ‘sick role’ relies heavily on the medical professional-patient relationship and should be able to rely on others to care for them in order to restoring  their health, they are to comply with the recommended medical treatment and are not to be help personally responsible for their illness due to it being beyond ones control (Germov, 2009). With the use of symbolic interactionism theory in the health care system, it allows the practitioner to gain an understanding of the patient’s physical presentation along with their psychological needs (Germov, 2009). Adapting the use of qualitative research and theory based practices within the medical profession collectively increases the patient’s outcomes both mentally and physically by providing the best possible care using a holistic approach. If health practitioners are unaware of these various theoretical perspectives they may not be able to provide the best practice for the patient, therefore leaving the individual with a reduced ability to regain their health (Germov, 2009). In conclusion the theoretical perspectives of functionalism and symbolic interactionism along with the other five theories; marxism, weberianism, feminism, contemporary modernism and post structuralism/post modernism are all important considerations that need to be taken into account when dealing with people in the medical profession. Functionalism relates more to the sociology of nursing and explores the structures that are involved in making a society and concentrate on the parts that interact together in order to make things work as a whole, the perfect example of this being the human body, without the awareness of this theory, social stability and consensus would not be achieved. Symbolic interactionism relates more towards sociology in nursing and takes into account the structures that meet the needs of society while it also considers individual’s social facts like the way people think and act, gaining an overall picture of the patients social and psychological needs.

Explain each of the areas of learning and development and how they are interdependent Essay

It is important to remember that each area of learning and development does not work in isolation but they are all in fact interlinked. Good quality activities will cover more than one area of development. For example, allowing children to access the outdoors will not only support their physical development, but encourage their communication and exploration of their environment. Where a child experiences a delay in one area, it is likely to limit their learning and development in the other five†¦ child with cerebral palsy who experiences hand-eye coordination difficulties is likely to find completing a puzzle difficult therefore hindering her problem solving, reasoning and numeracy. It is therefore vital that settings recognise each child’s individual needs and plan holistically in order to help children achieve their full potential across the six areas of learning. The physical development of babies and young children must be encouraged through the provision of opportunities for them to be active and interactive and to improve their skills of coordination, control, manipulation and movement. They must be supported in using all of their senses to learn about the world around them and to make connections between new information and what they already know. They must be supported in developing an understanding of the importance of physical activity and making healthy choices in relation to food. A child’s physical development may have an impact on their self-confidence as they grow older, if a child is unhappy with their appearance e. g. oung girls may feel their friends are physically developing at a faster rate to what they are, this may affect their social development and maybe even intellectual, when a child loses self-confidence they may become distracted in lessons and therefore fall behind in their school work. On the other hand if a child or young person is very physical and active and lives a healthy lifestyle, it is proven that this improves concentration, better sleep and a healthier life in general. This will impact on a child or young person’s intellectual development as they will be more alert and ready to learn, physical activity is also likely to encourage social and emotional development as schools will provide sports clubs and after school activities, giving children and young people the opportunity to socialise and progress in self-esteem. For a child to understand the world, he/she will understand that people have different beliefs, colour skin and religion, the world and technology. A child will also learn other children’s names, talk about family and friends. This has a huge impact on a child’s social development; they will have awareness of the world and the people around them, and therefore are able to confidently make new friends as they go through transitions such as moving schools. It is important that children and young people are given the opportunity to speak about themselves, their lives at home and also listen to others, and this gives them a perspective on the fact that everybody does different things, others’ lives differ to theirs and this is something that needs to be recognised and respected and not judged. Expressive arts and design means a child or young person making new things, designing and inventing a piece of art that is unique to them and their style, using a variety of materials and equipment. It is important to introduce this at a young age, not only does this encourage a child to express themselves creatively but also contributes to physical, intellectual, social and emotional development. Creativity relates to physical development from a young age as the movements required to make marks such as brush strokes improves both fine and gross motor skills, feet painting is a great activity to do with children to improve both creative and physical development, you could ask them to hop, skip, jump to make a variety of marks with the paint on their feet, children love doing activities like this as they are free to create whatever they like. You could introduce pattern making to expressive arts and design, progressing the child’s intellectual development; you could do this by providing a range of materials allowing the child to create their own pattern or engaging in the activity with the child engaging in discussion about what pattern they can make or get them to identify a pattern you have made and see if they can make one similar. Some children or young people use expressive art and design as a â€Å"get away† from any stress, they find it relaxing and calming. Personal and emotional development means a child developing skills to be able to make relationships and bonds, having self-confidence and self-awareness, understanding that actions may affect others and be able to learn positive dispositions such as empathy. We can encourage this in setting through â€Å"circle time† allowing children to talk about a topic of their choice, it is also important to discuss things such as disabilities and learning difficulties, so that if there is a child with these things in setting the child’s peers can empathise and help support the child as well as the adults. Personal and emotional development can be affected through a number of ways, one being if a child has a severe disability, they may feel that they are unable to take part in the same activities as their peers or may have a low self-esteem, this is why it important to promote equality, diversity and inclusion in setting it is important to plan activities around children’s needs leaving no child to feel left out. Physical disability often disturbs intellectual development, the reason for this being the main focus would be improving the child’s physical abilities e. g. he child may need to attend physiotherapy or regular hospital appointments, this also results in the child or young person missing a lot of time in school. It is important to focus on more than one area of development; this is why children with physical disabilities may also have a special worker helping them with the school work they have missed, so they do not get too far behind. From working in a childcare setting I have become more aware of how development areas are interdependent and try my best to support children in all areas of learning and development, taking into account any difficulties they have when planning activities.

The Battle of the Little Bighorn

In 1861 the US government introduced the reservation solution. Plains Indians were to be moved to designated areas known as reservations. There they would receive payments from the government and be taught the ways of the white men. However the Indians who refused to surrender their lives and the Grace land that they and their brothers had lived upon, long before the white men's unexpected arrival, soon disrupted this plan. The breaking of the treaty, which prevented white settlers to settle upon their land, and also them passing through it, angered Red Cloud. There were many Sioux attacks on travellers. These attacks went on for many years, until 1866. The US army ignored their accusations and set up forts along the reservation, to prevent further attacks. Red Cloud in disgust attacked the army. The forts, which had been built upon the Bozeman trail, were soon under siege. The Sioux alone were not strong enough to capture the forts, which were equipped with weaponry the Plains Indians had rarely see before, Rifles. Red Cloud kept a force of several Sioux Bands and had also allied with the Arapaho and the Cheyenne. The incentive, of their livelihoods spurred them on. They fort for many months. Red Cloud also had the vision to try and persuade the Crow, traditional enemies of the Sioux, to fight with his people. Although this did not happen, Red Cloud and his people fought on. In 1868 the government admitted that the Indians could not be defeated militarily. So the Us government signed the treaty of Fort Laramie, which saw the creation of the great Sioux Reservation. No non-Indians were to set foot inside this reservation. As soon as the army had left, the forts were burnt to the Ground. It was the start of many years of peace for Red Cloud. However not all of his people agreed with the life that they had been hand fed. Red Clouds power decreased and the Sioux now looked towards the more militant leaders such as Sitting Bull and Red Cloud. However there were worse times to come for the people of the Sioux. The Peace Treaty could not be maintained forever, could it? In 1874 a man by the name of George Armstrong Custer led the seventh Cavalry to the Black Hills, to see whether the area held, the shiny stone that the White Men craved. In doing this he broke the Peace Treaty of Fort Laramie, which had been signed 6 years earlier. Custer had found Gold, hills full of it, ‘From the grassroots down'. This enticed thousands of miners, in search of happiness to the area. The army could not prevent this, and the government did not want to. The Sioux did. The inhabitants attacked many miners. The Government of the United States offered huge sums of money, per year, to the Sioux, in return for the rights to the Gold that they were obviously not using! But the Indians were not interested in round pieces of metal, that the white men exchanged and they were bot willing to give up the Birthplace of their people up easily. In December 1875 all Sioux were ordered to return to their disturbed reservation. The Indian numbers made this hard. There were reported to be 7000 Indians, amongst them Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. Sitting Bull refused to agree to reservation life, and so many Sioux looked upon him as their new leader. February 1876 saw the army been ordered that any Indians that was not inside the reservation were to be treated as Hostile. This led to a three- pronged campaign, ordered by General Philip Sheridan. The campaign that followed led to the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Bighorn being the mountain ranges where the battle was to take place. And so George Armstrong Custer and his 7th Cavalry set out along with two other parties to force the Indians back to their reservations. Custer rode along the Rosebud River with the men he had been allocated by General Terry. Whilst riding into position, Custer spotted the Sioux village about 15 miles ahead. Custer contemplated attacking, ignoring the conversation he had had with General Terry earlier, Terry: â€Å"Don't be greedy, wait for us† Custer: â€Å"No, I won't Little did any of them know, that this would be one of the most controversial and misinterpreted conversations, ever made? Custer ignored Terry's orders and prepared to fight. He split his battalion up in three, and planned to send troops under Captain Frederick Benteen, who was ordered to prevent the Indian's usual tactic or escaping. Another group of men were given to Major Marcus Reno, who was to pursue the group. Custer hoped to attack the camp from the North and South Simultaneously. By looking at the tactics he pre-prepared, you would come to the conclusion that he was a very intelligent man, with a lot of experience and will power. However, he was soon to realise that these tactics were not properly thought out, in fact they were soon to be the biggest mistake of his life. A life that, would not see another battle, or another day. Custer had not used his Scouts well; he had barely used them at all. He had Indian Scouts from the enemy tribe of the Sioux, who could of told him a great deal about the strength of the Indian Camp he was preparing to attack, about the firepower of the Indians and the terrain that surrounded the camp. Custer sidelined the scouts, he was the man that ran the show, he knew everything, and he was the noble and brave war veteran. Well, at least this is what he had thought, and if truth were told, so did his men. They had not lost under Custer; he was a respected and experienced Indian fighter. He had never needed scouts before, why was this battle going to be any different? He needed Scouts, especially ones who could blend in, and this would be different. Little did George Armstrong Custer know that the Indian camp he was about to attack with only his battalion was three times his strength, containing not only Sioux, but also Cheyenne warriors. Custer' s plan was put into action: Reno's squadron of 175 soldiers attacked the northern end of the camp. Quickly finding themselves in a desperate battle with little hope of surviving, Reno halted his charging men before they could be trapped and killed, they fought for ten minutes in un-orderly state, hoping that it wasn't going to be their scalps upon the mass of tee-pees they saw before them. Reno withdrew his men into the woods that lined the river. When that position proved indefensible, they retreated uphill to the bluffs east of the river, pursued hotly by f Cheyenne and Sioux Warriors. Just as they finished driving the soldiers out, the Indians sighted roughly 200 of Custer's men coming towards them, through the tough terrain at the other end of the village. This then took the pressure off of Reno's men. Cheyenne and Hunk papa Sioux together crossed the river and locked horns with the advancing soldiers, forcing them back to a high ridge to the north. Meanwhile, another force, largely Oglala Sioux under the command of Crazy Horse, swiftly moved downstream and doubled back in a sweeping arc. This boxed the un-defeated men of the 7th cavalry enveloping Custer and his men in a pincer move. The Indians began pouring in gunfire and arrows. Gunfire came from Winchester repeating Rifles. Rifles that they traded with white men for fur. The exact rifle that Custer had ordered to be left behind, as this would hold his men up, in a battle where, he thought, guns were not necessary. Custer thought a lot of things would weigh him down. The gattling Guns, Sabres and extra troops for example. All because he thought they'd slow him down. But how much he would of wanted them despite their ‘weight', whilst surrounded by the ‘savages' he had promised to leave in peace. The peace was broken, and so was Custer's plan. As the Indians closed in, Custer ordered his men to shoot their horses and stack the carcasses to form a wall, but they provided little protection against bullets. In under an hour, Custer and his men were killed in the worst American military disaster ever. Proving that Custer was greedy and Custer didn't wait. There were many factors that led to the defeat of Custer. However by reading the facts about the war, above, you can see that Custer eyes were clouded over. An urgency to go down in American history as the noblest man, the greatest Indian slayer and most of all The President of the United States. A great Indian slayer should be able defeat a camp of Indians on his own? This was why George Custer did not use Scouts. Therefore he ran into a camp that was 3 or 4 times larger than he had first anticipated. So the men he obtained, of which he thought he had sufficient were out numbered 3 to 1. This obviously was a huge factor to why he and his men were slain. He did not expect to come across a camp of this size, let alone a camp that were equipped with a greater fire power than his squadron. This was another factor. Custer had not expected the Indians to have Guns as well as the knifes and bows and arrows they were expected to own. This meant Custer's men were facing 3 times as many warriors as he had, who were more equipped in the white mans fire arms than them. Having known this a war veteran would have surely come up with alternative tactics. So you see, lack of and misinterpreted information led to unsuitable tactics. It was like a chain of events. Lack of knowledge meant lack of weapons and firepower, which meant poor tactics. This lack of knowledge could have so easily been avoided, by sending out some of their many Indian Scouts. Who could have quite easily got an insight into the size and firepower that the rival Indians had. But Custer' eyes were clouded with greed, he needed no scouts. Custer definitely went down in history. He went down as the General who led his men into worst military disaster in American History. What happened to the Sioux after the battle? Although the Indians won the Battle of the Little Bighorn, it was not a major event in Sioux history. Knowing that there would be severe punishment for their victory, the Indians immediately split up and traveled on so that the U. S. Cavalry would have a difficult time trying to find them. Eventually, they would be forced to live on reservations as their land went into the hands of the U. S. government for mining and farming. Something the Indians did not do or intend on doing. They had fought hard in a losing battle. They had success in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, but had lost their way of life. Their victory attracted even more discrimination and racism and gave the white men an extra incentive to wipe out the Plains Indians altogether. They would now be forced to live as the white men, be taught to farm crops and live in captivity. Some Indians killed themselves rather than live a false life with their humiliated and half annihilated brothers. So the Battle of the Little Bighorn was not really a victory for the Indians. They had fought with their lives, and what had they won, a life of shame, cruelty and eventually death. The reward for their victory was nothing.

Organizational paradigms Essay

Every organization is different and there is no perfect organizational paradigm that fits an organization in all situations. Even though the most common organizational paradigms are hierarchies, holarchies, coalitions, teams, congregations, societies, federations, and matrix organizations there are many more kinds that exist which are a combination of these with a few extra attributes. â€Å"What is clear is that all approaches have different characteristics which may be more suitable for some problems and less suitable for others† ( Horling & Lesser, 2005) I feel that among these organizational paradigms a combination of hierarchical and team based designs offer the best of the attributes. Because, hierarchical structured organizational is one of the oldest and time tested paradigms with very clear advantages over the other paradigms. A hierarchical organizational design helps decomposition and that is its major advantages. In addition, hierarchical organizations are formed with number of departments each with a hierarchy of its own and that helps the organization tackle large scale projects and scaling is comparatively easy depending on the need of the situation. They are also the simplest to understand and induction of new employees and their reporting system are comparatively more systematic and well organized. The trouble with hierarchical systems, however is that they tend to develop bottlenecks and decision making processes tend to take longer. That is the reason, for my belief that if the hierarchical organization create teams within itself, it would improve the overall flexibility of the organization and avoid the creation of bottle necks. Because teams are set of employees who work towards a common goal supporting and coordinating with each other. Whenever a larger problem crops up that cannot be handled by individuals the team can take care of them and take the organization forward. References Horling & Lesser, 2005, A Survey of Multi-Agent Organizational Paradigms, retrieved May 14, 2009 from http://polaris. ing. unimo. it/didattica/cas/L6/Lesser_OrgParadigms. pdf

John Miltons Paradise Lost Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

John Miltons Paradise Lost - Essay Example Milton's view on the first acts of disobedience by Adam and Eve sounds critical and defensive worrying that universal despair and death will appear inadequate and incommensurate with the violation of a single dietary prohibition. This is in line with the concluding two ignored scriptural verses that say: "Anyone who examines this sin carefully will admit, and rightly, that it was a most atrocious offense, and that it broke every part of the law. For what fault is there which man did not commit in committing this sin He was to be condemned both for trusting Satan and for not trusting God; he was faithless, ungrateful, disobedient, greedy, uxorious; she, negligent of her husband's welfare; both of them committed theft, robbery with violence, murder against their children (i.e. the whole human race); each was sacrilegious and deceitful, cunningly aspiring to divinity though thoroughly unworthy of it, proud and arrogant. Correspondingly, Eccles. vii.29 states that "God has made man uprig ht, but they have thought up numerous devices, and in James ii.10 states that "whoever keeps the whole law, and yet offends in one point, is guilty of all. Such verses where referenced by Milton's Paradise Lost saying that Adam and Eve become manifold in sin with their disobedience of one law. The primal act is death's equivalent of the original single cell from which all life is said to have derived, fertilized in a flash of lightning as the earth cooled, leaving traces of itself in all its varied progeny. Milton exploits the Preacher's choice of adam for "man" in the Hebrew text of Ecclesiastes 7:29 as well as his shift from singular to plural in the second clause. This rabbinic interpretation of texts rewrites the verse in an Edenic context and adds Eve as a sinner by means of binary fission. Rashi elucidates and expounds adam in the verse ("God created Adam perfectly upright"), and both Rashi and the earlier Midrash Qoheleth Rabbah explain the use of the plural "they": "when Eve was created from the body of Adam, he became two people" (as cited in Rosenblatt 1994). The concluding verse of the paragraph from James emphasizes the strictly permanent and unbreakable unity of the Pentateuchal law, ultimately a rabbinic idea, although its most famous formulations occur in the letters of Paul, who appropriates and transforms it. Taunting the Jewish Christians, less pious than the Pharisees, who yet refuse to ignore the ceremonial law, Paul insists that if they adopt Jewish law they must perform it all (Sifra, Kedoshim 8b; Sabbath 31a). Paul always views the law's unity negatively, as in Galatians 3:6-14, which attempts to illustrate that the law is impossible to keep in every detail and that only faith can save (Segal 1990). Milton mentions not Paul but rather the noticeably unProtestant and un-Pauline James, whose assumption of the law's unity strengthens his positive declaration that works must go along with faith. The law in Milton's Eden was just, efficacious, and easy to keep. The long list of sins in De doctrina constitutes a complaint against Adam and Eve, not against the law itself, and so Milton appropriately cites James's positive rather than Paul's negative view of the law's unity. The aggregate of

Starbucks Case Analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Starbucks Analysis - Case Study Example Additionally, a number of similar companies such as Dunkin Donuts, McDonald's and Caribou Coffee among others are implementing strategies that are helping them to conquer a larger share of the market. The main objective of this study is to provide a lucid comprehension about how the aspect of employee development can facilitate Starbucks to mitigate the rising issues and also to maintain their competitive position amid their competitors. Discussion Describe The Importance of the Employee Life Cycle Stage Selected to any Organization’s Human Capital Strategy The advancement in the technological aspect and the advent of globalization have not only created opportunities for small firms to establish themselves in the global level but are also creating challenges for business firms through rise in the number of competitors. In this regard, it has become vital for every business to implement employee life cycle stages that would not only aid in maintaining an effective workforce wit hin the business but would also facilitate them to develop skills that would aid to achieve the organizational goals effectively. Employee life cycle is considered to be a Human Resource (HR) process which helps in identifying stages in an employee’s working life along with guiding him/her through the application of management and optimized association process. Six of the common stages in an employment life cycle are recruitment, selection, performance, succession, employee development and transition (Greg Roche, n.d.). The aspect of employee development is considered to be one of the most important functions of Human Resource Management (HRM) in today’s growing competitive business world. In general, employee development implies those actions that help in developing the abilities of an individual employee and organization as a whole. Human Resources of an organization are determined to be amongst the most vital aspects to ensure organizational work efficiency. Loss of a single employee from an organization may at times severely affect the entire working process. The rapid changes in the way businesses are being conducted today have forced large organizations to implement strategies that would not only aid them in updating the skills of their employees but would also help in maintaining a good retention rate of the workforce (Noe, 2010). The concept of employee development has become important over the years because it aids in improving knowledge, skills and competencies which in turn facilitates them to complete their assigned tasks effectively. Additionally, it has also been viewed that the aspect of employee development helps in developing a deep coordinated relation amidst employees of an organization as it indicates that the organization cares about its employees and wants them to work with them in the future (Hameed & Waheed, 2011; WorkSmart, n.d.). Explain How Your Ideas Relate To, and Will Therefore Help To Resolve, the Issues Starbucks A re Facing With reference to the case i.e. Starbucks: Delivering Customer Service by Moon, Y., and Quelch, J., it can be viewed that Starbucks was enjoying its 11th consecutive year of growth rate in terms of sales. However, according to a market research conducted by Starbucks, it was viewed that the company was not meeting with the

Impact of NGOs on Chinas Labour Rights CSR Component Essay

Impact of NGOs on Chinas Labour Rights CSR Component - Essay Example The role of NGOs is growing more important in China given the lack of political independence, as well as freedom of association, for work councils and trade unions on the factory floor. This vacuum is filled partially by labour support and labour rights NGOs, which bargain for labour rights and offer support to work for councils at factories and other workplaces. These organizations have more room to manoeuvre since they can bypass political aspects because of their business model, although this can also lead to additional dependencies that hamper their strategies for collective action focused labour rights (Lin, 2010). NGOs, thus, face the delicate task of balancing dependencies between businesses and states and expanding on what current labour laws, both national and international, provide. Their effectiveness against this backdrop will be discussed with regards to labour rights within their larger CSR monitoring mandate. NGOs working in the labour rights and labour support sector in China have several government-recognized frameworks to ensure adherence to CSR, particularly labour rights. One of this is the 2008 Labour Law that was passed in mid-2007 and implemented the next year. In passing the new labour law, the Chinese legislature strengthened worker protection and made a real attempt at adhering to internationally recognized labour regulations (Zheng, 2009). This law required that employees in all Chinese companies give their workers a written contract and restricted use of casual labourers, while also making it more difficult to lay off workers. The law also softened its stance on foreign companies that were a threat to those in China, as well as enhanced the role of the state-owned union in collective bargaining. The law also requires that all employers give equal treatment to immigrant and local employees. In addition, the law also requires that the written contracts offered by employers to w orkers meet minimum safety and wage regulations (See, 2009). For NGOs in China, most of which are funded by foreign labour rights organizations, this moves the country towards a European-style regime of labour regulations.

Should the US gets itself involved in everything going on in the Research Paper

Should the US gets itself involved in everything going on in the middle east - Research Paper Example 78). This piece of research paper attempts to address how dangerously United States has been playing its diplomatic roles in the Middle East and explains five reasons why the US shouldn’t get involved in everything that go on in the region. This paper analyzes how the political languages the US repeatedly has been using like peace-making, anti-terrorism and weapon proliferation have but shown that they were absolutely meaningless due to the ongoing conflicts in the region, ever-increasing terrorism and devastating weaponry-political ideologies. Five reasons why the US shouldn’t involve in the Middle East United States shouldn’t play its diplomatic roles in military, political and all other activities that go on in the Middle East mainly for the following factors: 1. The main interest behind US’s involvement in the Middle East is to get wider access to oil-resources, which in turn can never be justified in terms of business or international politics. 2. Mid dle East is basically an Islamic region and therefore any involvement from the US side will be seen as an unnecessary involvement especially in religious affairs, and its interest in wars will be merely unjust. 3. As widely known, or as widely being debated in media worldwide, one of the main reason why US involves in the Middle East is to preserve the security and well-being of Israel (Pelletreau, p. 21), and therefore it will have a devastating impact on Middle East people’s perception of the US creating more hatred towards the US. 4. US involvement in Middle East will cause nothing more than giving excitement to the terrorists and thus making the region more vulnerable to ongoing conflicts and political instabilities. 5. The more the US gets involved in the Middle East, the highest the numbers of people, civilians and troops being killed in regions like Palestine, Iraq and other countries. Based on literatures and experts’ opinion, these reasons are detailed below: The US Interest in oil-resources When it comes to the case of recent war between Iraq and the US, for instance, the US gained full of oil resources that can help it fulfill its oil-requirements for years, where as Iraq lost their political and social stability in the country. As Krasner (p. 189) noted, the second World War has actually brought greater demand for oil and that bringing US attention to the Middle East as well. From 1940 onwards, America has been taking serious foreign policies to help it access oil from the Gulf countries. Pauly (p. 160) observed that Middle East has been a vital source for greater access to oil resources and this has brought the attention of the US foreign policy too. Without oil, many countries and many economies would face major disruptions. Similarly, the standard of living even will be greatly impacted if the US lacks oil resources and therefore America has increasingly intervened diplomatically, economically and militarily in the region. The ethi cal and moral sides of this intention and military operation can never be justified and therefore America should stop involving in the affairs OF Middle East. Involvement unjust Economical, diplomatic and military involvement of the US in the Middle Eas

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Human Resource Management - Essay Example The main argument is that the framework for a diverse workplace is contingent on the successful development of these three categories. The article indicates that the motivating and controlling factor for diversity in the workforce is the headquarters. In this way there is the recommendation to begin planning diversity at this stage and then extend it to subsidiary organizations. Diversity variables are also noted as an important notion in that they consider the changing nature of diversity based on region. The author indicates that multicultural teams are effective as the multiplicity of perspectives creates opportunities for increased innovation. To a large part the article downplays reasons against diversity, although there are a few instances. For instance, while multicultural teams may be good for innovation, it is also possible that the divergence of viewpoints and backgrounds causes increased troubles for collaboration. Ultimately I found this article insightful in the way that it attempted to establish a framework for implementing diversity in the workforce. Still, I believe that the article lacks the detail that is needed to truly enact change, as there will be different challenges for different labor environments. Linda Gravett’s article ‘Diversity Efforts Can Support Business Imperatives’ considers diversity in terms of diverse business operations. For instance, there is the indication that businesses that are able to expand into international markets receive a greater competitive advantage. The author also makes the point that for organizations to increasingly survive they must consider diversity as a strong part of their missions and values. This vision of diversity refers to establishing a workforce with diverse talents and skills. Gravett later relays a story about working in Japan. During this period she was tasked with conducting a training program for her organization. The students were Japanese and refrained

Answering 2 questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Answering 2 questions - Assignment Example My personal contributions will aim at fulfilling some holes in the research topic by bringing in ideas that seek to affirm contentious issues in the topic. I believe that I will be able to offer sufficient support for my claims as well as highlighting the myths and misconceptions surrounding the topic. I think the final choices of peers are valid as they can form the basis for a credible research topic. In relation my selected topic, I have seen many things that may alter my view of the subject. First of all, television commercial are not only based in emotions as I had earlier stated but they are also based on some known facts. They not only appeal to our emotions but some of them are based on things that we cannot do without and as a result, the advertisements are just a matter of conveying the information and not appealing for convince us through emotional approach. I have discovered that logos can also be applied in commercials by stating the logic behind the need to consume some products. According to the definition of research as depicted in the lecture notes, it is about creation of a topic and not just writing on the topic. This means that one must come up with new ideas and strategies that have never been handled conclusively and the debate on them rages on. This is a new insight to me as far as research writing is concerned. I will now focus more on the coming up with new ideas as opposed to the ones already known and proved. By taking this approach, I will be able to write one of the best papers and fill all the knowledge gaps in my research

Geography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Geography - Essay Example The concerned area is located at a very important place and keeps diversity for commercial and industrial base. Lansdowne Street joints the highway. The indigenous people occupy this part of the Peterborough. Metropolitan Toronto also influences this part of Peterborough. Water is the important component of the cultural and physical landscape of the census tract 05. Little lake provides the recreational opportunity to tours and local residents (Adams and Taylor, 2009). Traditional ways of travelling were used as boating. It was suggested as the important for recreation in the economy. Adams and Taylor (2009) provided the industrial outlook of the area. The Q.T.G Canada and Ventra Plastics, Sysco Food Services and Siemens are the important industries of the City Peterborough. Development in tourist, health and education industry is also increasing in the concerned area. Trent University and Sir Sand ford Fleming College are the major institutions in the area. Students from local as we ll as across the Canada and Province come here for study purposes. Adams and Taylor (2009) presented the Census tracts of Peterborough on varied cultural, shopping and recreational attractions. People move to Toronto in summer and weekends because of Kawartha lakes. People from America, Ontario also come to these Kawartha lakes in their leisure times. People use their own automobiles for travelling, but some of people use other means such as bicycling, walking and canoeing. Observation from Primary sources: The cultural heritage landscapes are those areas, which are modified by humans. The residents of the area value this modified landscape. Little lake cemetery was chartered first in Ontario that represented the special cultural heritage. Little lake is recognized as the significant place and considered as the open space because it is adjacent to parks. Little lake is Category an asset because the properties of the Little Lake are valued on provincial as well as national level. The Lansdowne Street is the important place for growing business and just away from the heart of the city Peterborough. For example, Comfort Hotel & Suites is beautifully designed that demonstrates the origin of this area in city Peterborough. The Lansdowne Street W crosses over the Little Lake and leads towards the Burnham Provincial Park. Park Street is also included in the business districts of the central area. The Park Street area is represented as the transitional and industrial conversion sub area. Natural setting and topography of the Little Lake provides space for people living in the Census Tract 5 as a fashion for the movement of rural cemetery. This area is also significant because it reflects the changing attitudes about the concept of death and cultural movement. The tract 5 is the area of residents with high-income families. People living in this area shift their spending on the needs and household. Young adults of the study area spend a higher part of their income on th e recreation merchandise, fashion and entertainment. Increase in family size and children ages, the housing, home decoration and furnishing share a greater part of the income of families. People of the concerned area replace the furniture when it is retired. Presence of colleges and other educational institutions is the crucial driver for the economic development and attracts the young people to be part of the same

The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost Essay Example for Free

The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost Essay The poem â€Å"The Road Not Taken† by Robert Frost strikes me as having a dual meaning.   One perspective of the poem seems to be a statement of advice for people to take the â€Å"one less traveled by†.   Another perspective is that the â€Å"Road Not Taken† may be the road that he took and he was sorry he has chosen that path for some reason or another.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To start with the discussion, I will first discuss the first perspective that of the inference to â€Å"The Road Not Taken† as an advice for people to take.    The author took the first person stance using the words â€Å"I† throughout the poem.   This could be interpreted that he, himself has done what he is advising for others to do to take the â€Å"one less traveled by† (fourth line, fifth stanza). Usually this phrase is used for people who have taken the road that is righteous and the one that is harder to travel or go by but which is the right thing to do.   It is also thought of as the hard but nevertheless, the way to be successful in life.   The author made use of a lot of imagery and metaphors like â€Å"yellow wood† referring to the seemingly yellow path as affected by the daffodils that bloom at the pathways that he often takes with his friend in Massachusetts, at the time he wrote the poetry.   He also describes the road less traveled by as â€Å"grassy and wanted wear† perhaps this is so for lack of travelers trudging in its grass.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Meanwhile, the other perspective or interpretation that could be entertained with regards to this poem is the author’s tone towards the end of the last stanza â€Å"I took the one less traveled by/ And that has made all the difference† seems to denote that he was sorry for the choice he made.   The tone is that of sadness and he uses the line â€Å"I shall be telling this with a sigh†. The next line also situates the point of reflection wherein the author says â€Å"Somewhere ages and ages hence; Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by,†Ã‚     The metaphor of the words ages and ages hence places the time or hour of recollection at a much recent time after he made his choice, or since the time he made his choice, and decided his course of action.   It implies that this choice was made a long time ago and the last stanza gives a clue as to the outcome of that choice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Aside from the two possible scenarios that this poem can be interpreted into, there are also some conflicts of imagery.   These conflicts are stated in the use of the lines â€Å"Because it was grassy and wanted wear;† indicates one path or road obviously still has a lot of grass untouched by trudging feet or passers by.   However, the last two lines goes, â€Å"Though as far that the passing there/ had worn them really about the same†, describing both paths and roads as equally traveled or trudged upon by travelers.   This seeming conflict in imagery, though I would interpret as the author’s state of mind, when he was presented with a dilemma or a proposition of which road to take. He seemed to be weighing his options and was in the process of balancing his final decision as to which road to take and sees that there is not much difference in the outward appearance of both paths. In conclusion, the poem in general takes a positive, albeit sad remembrance of the choices in life that the author has made.   But what he seems to be sad about is that he must have wanted to take as many paths as he could, but only he could not as the time of choice is well past already.   Still, the author encourages people and readers to take the road less traveled, for although it presents more challenge and probably even hardship, it is usually the right path to take.

Public Examination Should Not Be Abolished Essay Example for Free

Public Examination Should Not Be Abolished Essay While several states are implementing some form of standards-based reform, there is very little empirical evidence to prove that standards, assessment, and high-stakes accountability programs are effective in improving public schools. In many states, such as California, attempts to implement standards-based reform are inconsistently or carelessly aligned with quality research. The following are some of the shortcomings of standards-based reform. 1. Recent reports on the standards-based reform movement in New York suggest that in many schools the careless implementation of standards and assessment may have negative consequences for students. Vague and unclear standards in several subject areas in several states complicate matters and do not serve as concrete standards defining what students should know and be able to do. 3. Top-down standards imposed by the federal or state government are also problematic. They impose content specifications without taking into account the different needs, opportunities to learn, and skills that may be appropriate for specific districts or regions. Table 1: Advantages of SBA compared with external examinations Point Characteristics of SBA Characteristics of Exams Scope Extends the range and diversity of assessment collection opportunities, task types and assessors Much narrower range of assessment opportunities: less diverse assessment; one exam per year Authenticity Assessment done by students own teacher; less possibility of cheating as teacher knows student capabilities; assessments more likely to be realistic Removes assessment entirely from teaching and learning; stressful conditions may lead to students not demonstrating real capacities Validity Improves validity through assessing factors that cannot be included in public exam settings Limits validity by limiting scope of assessment, e. g. difficult to assess interaction skills in exam environment Reliability Improves reliability by having more than one assessment by a teacher who is familiar with the student; allows for multiple opportunities for assessor reflection/standardisation Even with double marking, examiners judgments can be affected by various factors (task difficulty, topic, interest level, tiredness, etc); little opportunity for assessor reflection / review Fairness Fairness is achieved by following commonly-agreed processes, outcomes and standards; teacher assumptions about students and their oral language levels is made explicit through collaborative sharing and discussion with other teachers Fairness can only be achieved by treating everyone the same, i. e. setting the same task at the same time for all students. Feedback Students can receive constructive feedback immediately after the assessment has finished, hence improving learning The only feedback is usually a grade at the end of the course; no opportunities for interaction with assessor; no chance to ask how to improve Positive washback (beneficial influence on teaching and learning) Ongoing assessment encourages students to work consistently; provides important data for evaluation of teaching and assessment practices in general Examination is purely summative, and does not serve any teaching-related purpose; effects on teaching and learning may even be negative; may encourage teaching to the test and a focus on exam technique, rather than outcomes. Teacher and student empowerment Teachers and students become part of the assessment process; collaboration and sharing of expertise take place within and across schools Teachers play little to no role in assessment of their students and have no opportunity to share their expertise or knowledge of their students; students treated as numbers Professional development Builds teacher assessment skills, which can be transferred to other areas of the curriculum Teachers have no opportunity to build their assessment skills; get little or no feedback on how to improve as teachers